Side A: Built of bricks of clay from the Little Miami River, the King Mansion has stood majestically overlooking the town of Kings Mills since 1885. The home of industrialist Ahimaaz King and the first house in Kings Mills, this 12-room, three-story Italianate-style house is crowned with a widow’s walk and features stained-glass windows, distinctive fireplaces, and a tack room. The carriage house included a milking operation for cows on the lower level, stables on the main level, and carriage storage on the upper level. A cast iron fountain in the yard gave the name “Fountain Square” to the area. Occupied by three generations of Kings until 1988, the mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 and is a reminder of Ahimaaz King’s importance to the history of Kings Mills.
Side B: Born in Suffield, Connecticut, Ahimaaz King came to Xenia, Ohio around 1856 to live with the family of his uncle, Joseph Warren (J.W.) King. He joined his uncle’s blasting and gun powder business and together in 1878 they founded, in Deerfield Township, what became the King Powder Company in 1889. Ahimaaz supervised the building and operation of the company, stretching a mile along the river, and was also a founder and manager of the nearby Peters Cartridge Company, which the King company supplied with gun powder. He guided the building of the company-owned town of Kings Mills to provide housing for employees, funded the construction of an eight-room brick school, and started what became the Kings Local School District. Married to Amanda Luck (1840 -1917) and father of ten children, Ahimaaz King was one of Warren County’s most energetic and successful businessmen.
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